The die sets assuming the top end only, I would say Redding, Forester, and RCBS. I'm not sure how good one is over the other though. I have 1 Redding Benchrest S 3die set and I love it. But I think you could get results very close to it with a Lee collet die, redding body die, and the seater of your choice as long as it's a good seater and save a C note in the process.

3k should be doable with either Retumbo, Ramshot Magnum (shows highest velocities in the Berger manual), or H1000. If you use the Classic hunter you should also expect to see a drop in velocity due to the longer bearing length, though it's not enough to notice in reality.

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Keep in mind the animals we shoot for food and display are not bullet proof. Contrary to popular belief, they bleed and die just like they did a hundred years ago. Being competent with a given rifle is far more important than impressive ballistics and poor shootability. High velocity misses never put a steak in the freezer.

The last couple of Redding dies I have bought have been very rough on the inside. I haven't seen real good quality in Redding dies lately. I would look very hard at Forster or Hornady. I have a couple of sets of Hornady and they produce some really straight ammo. 3k in your setup should be very doable with 168's. Like the previous post said, good powders would be Retumbo and Ramshot Magnum. I wouldn't be afraid to look at H1000 either. 7828 has a history of being a pretty accurate powder but is not very temp stable.

Thanks for the info. I have read 7828 is temperamental so I was a little concerned. I will try Retumbo and H1000. Berger stated the fill ratio to be 104.7% for Retumbo and 100.1% for H1000 with Quick Load data. I would like to stay away from compressed loads as I have had issues with them in the past.

Thanks for the info. I have read 7828 is temperamental so I was a little concerned. I will try Retumbo and H1000. Berger stated the fill ratio to be 104.7% for Retumbo and 100.1% for H1000 with Quick Load data. I would like to stay away from compressed loads as I have had issues with them in the past.

7828 works well in the 7mag; I'd stay to 150 grain or heavier though. I've seen it have issues(unstable accuracy) with 140 grain pills in my current rifle if the temp. drops below 50 degrees or so. With 150gr. and heavier it doesn't show any problems. I'd look at rl22 and h1000 as all around powders here; I've used plenty of rl22 in my 7rems and it always does well.

I have had very good luck, and incredible consistency with H1000, and 168 VLD bullets, and the primer I, and a few others have used is the Winchester WLR primer. In the seven mag, you do NOT need a mag primer. It is ok to use it, but really not needed . My load is 67.0-H1000-168 VLD ,@ 3.336 OAL. That puts me at .040 from the throat, and 2977 velocity. There is headroom for more powder, which would give you the 3000 you are looking for, but the deer I have shot with that load did not know the difference, and didn't want to either. Additionally, RL22 has always been a favorite, but I feel the H1000 has the edge, and is more consistent, and has lower ES,SD as well.

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